Diabetes is a metabolic disease characterized by high blood sugar, also called glucose, resulting from disruption in production of, or lack of proper response to, insulin, a hormone central to regulating carbohydrate and fat metabolism.
More than 18.2 million people (or 6.3 percent of the population) in the United States suffer from diabetes. Diabetes can cause serious health complications including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and lower-extremity amputations. These complications may be avoided through effective and efficient balance of sugar levels. The glucometers (also called a glucose meter) is one tool for reaching and maintaining an optimal balance of blood sugar.
Many glucometers use an electrochemical method, based on test media such as test strips. Test strips are a consumable element containing chemicals that react with glucose in a drop of blood used for each measurement. The test media are typically single-use elements which are sold in packages which must be replaced once they are all used.